Grand jury indicts alleged BurlCo burglars on 96 counts

MOUNT HOLLY — DNA on a misplaced flashlight shed light on a pair of burglars who are accused of breaking into 25 upscale homes in Burlington and Camden counties over a 10-month span in 2012.

The heists netted more than $2 million in ill-gotten proceeds, some of which were buried in the yards of the alleged burglars or hidden in an abandoned building in Philadelphia.

The Burlington County Prosecutor’s office said Wednesday that on June 4, a grand jury returned a 96-count indictment against Darius H. Gittens, 54 and Gregory V. Petit, 48, both of Medford on charges related to the burglaries to Evesham, Medford, Moorestown and Mount Laurel in Burlington county and Haddonfield and Voorhees in Camden counties. The prosecutor’s office said that most of the homes were near golf courses or wooded lots offering minimal visibility from neighboring homes.

According to the prosecutor’s office the pair would allegedly cut the phone and alarm service wires to targeted homes and make entry by smashing in a rear sliding door. The men would then use a police radio to monitor emergency communications. The burglaries took place when residents were not home.

Among the more than $2 million in items taken were jewelry, watches, furs, coins, crystal, silverware, handbags, firearms, camera equipment and other electronics. A task force was formed after similarities in the burglaries were discovered. That task force consisted of law enforcement agencies from the affected towns, and the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.

The prosecutors office said that break in the case came after DNA evidence belonging to one of the men was found on a flashlight was left behind during a burglary in Moorestown. The flashlight shifted the investigation to the analysis of more than 9,000 phone calls and text messages, along with surveillance of the pair.

Authorities said that more than 500 stolen items were recovered, some were found buried in the yards of the duo and others hidden in an abandoned building in Philadelphia.

“This was a very complex investigation,” Prosecutor Bernardi said in a release. “The tenacity and perseverance shown by the investigators who worked this case was tremendous. It was outstanding police work and the residents in the towns where these burglaries occurred should feel thankful that these law enforcement officials are on the job.”

The pair were arrested Sept 5, 2012 and were both released after posting bail, which was set at $150,000 for Gittens and $230,000 for Petit.

The pair were indicted on 96-counts related to burglary, theft, criminal mischief, multiple weapons charges and possession of a radio to intercept emergency communications while attempting to commit a crime. Among the weapons the men were charged with being in possession of were a .357 Revolver, stun gun,and pellet gun.